The present invention generally relates to software, systems, and/or methods for modifying a conventional raster graphics software program so as to provide a geospatial geo-referenced environment with or without enhanced geo-spatial functionality. For the purpose of this invention, the term “enhanced geo-spatial functionality” means functionality and/or processes commonly performed on geo-spatial imagery but not normally performed on non-geo-spatial imagery. More specifically, the invention relates to a geospatial framework for raster image editing applications such as Adobe Photoshop that provides underlying support for geospatial imagery and in addition introduces a number of specific geospatial functions to this otherwise non-geospatial environment.
Previously the ability to recognize and work with geospatial imagery such as aerial photos, satellite photos or map scans was confined to a small number of highly specialized and high-priced spatial image processing systems such as ER Mapper and ERDAS Imagine.
Applications such as these are primarily geared to geographic operations only and, while able to recognize, open, manipulate and export images of a spatial nature, lack the complex and sophisticated functionality of conventional raster image editing applications such as Adobe Photoshop, Corel Photo-Paint and Paint Shop Pro.
Products like Adobe Photoshop, Corel Photo-Paint and Paint Shop Pro are targeted at graphics design professionals and others who wish to edit and manipulate basic raster images such as those taken with a digital camera or created from a scanning operation. While these applications have very comprehensive and sophisticated image editing capabilities they all lack the ability to work with images of a geospatial nature in a way that preserves the geospatial data integrity of the image. These applications also lack additional geospatial functionality provided by the present invention.